Mr Williamsburg, Revolutionary ideas on real estate!Hampton Roads Virginia

by Brian Whitson/ William & Mary

The William and Mary Real Estate Foundation board will join President Taylor Reveley, Mayor Jeanne Zeidler, and other College and city officials June 15 to officially break ground on a building that will soon bring much-needed student retail and housing close to campus.

The groundbreaking for the building – to be called Tribe Square – will take place at 10 a.m. at the site on Richmond Road next to the Wawa store.  When complete, the $6.5 million building will be home to 12,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space and 14 apartments that will house 56 W&M students.

Tribe Square, officials said, is designed to address two key concerns: a desire for more student oriented retail and dining options near campus and the need for additional College-operated housing for William & Mary undergraduates.

The William and Mary Real Estate Foundation has been working with the College to identify student retail options closer to campus. The Real Estate Foundation also worked closely with city officials throughout the planning for the project, which is scheduled to be completed by fall 2011.

The design calls for a first floor dedicated to retail space, including restaurants with outdoor seating.  The parking lot behind the building will be accessed from Scotland Street.  A breezeway will allow access to Richmond Road directly from the lot, which will be reserved for retail patrons. The building’s top two floors will include apartments for William & Mary upperclassmen. The housing will be managed by the College’s Office of Residence Life. Brick sidewalks and landscaping will surround the building.

Tribe Square has been several years in the making. Two years ago, the Real Estate Foundation acquired properties on Richmond Road, including the Taylor Building and the former Master Craftsman site. Both are adjacent to the College-owned Thiemes House property, which William & Mary’s human resources offices recently vacated. The three properties are on a site of approximately one acre that will be cleared for the new mixed-use retail and student housing building. Williamsburg City Council approved the rezoning of the Tribe Square site at their meeting in April. 

The William and Mary Real Estate Foundation was established in 2006 to acquire, hold, manage, sell, lease, and participate in the development of real estate properties in support of the educational goals of the College.

Location Map of Tribe Square in Williamsburg VA

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